Dr. Rafael Maldonado Jr., or Ray as he is known to his friends, pastored for 29 years in Chicago in two churches. He is head the Caribbean Missions Coordinator for the Vineyard USA Missions. He also leads a Partnership for an island in the Caribbean. Besides developing a church planters program, Ray is a Certified Coach and coaches church planters and leaders in the U.S. and Latin America.

He and his wife Teresa have five children and eleven grandchildren. They are involved in the Lakeland Vineyard and live in Lakeland, Florida. Ray’s heart is to promote the heart of Jesus for the Biblically diverse church that he calls the Transcultural Church. He received his doctoral degree from Bakke Graduate University.